Instead of the standard sport activities, should P.E. teach martial arts?

No, as that would not serve any purpose.

@longgone
Physical fitness, discipline and self defence skills serve more of a purpose than handegg.

Yes. But who says martial arts and handegg are the only two possibilities for teaching PE?

I like the idea, but such programs need commitment by the student to the philosophy as well as the physical attributes. You might want to start with Yoga.

The problem is that there are not enough dojos around to do a decent, credible job of teaching martial arts. So you would end up with a generation of poorly trained, half-assed people with a physical skill that has no applicability in their lives.

We would do far more good to teach each school child to play chess. That would develop analytical skills, which are for more useful in the long run.

they do not have the time nor the ability to capture the focus they need to do this.

I agree that martial arts are not easily forced on kids…it needs to be a voluntary commitment.

Actually, my first thought was, ”lawsuit”...the first time a kid damages someone irreparably using the school-taught martial arts skills, the school district is sued into bankruptcy.

Why “instead”? Why not incorporate some martial arts into the regular phys-ed curriculum?

How about if we just eliminate physical education? I went to private school and never had P.E., but I’ve spent my adult life hearing nightmare recollections of sadistic gym teachers and abuse in locker rooms. Personally, I think that no child should ever be forced to disrobe in front of his/her teachers and classmates.

I know that some people will jump down my throat and say that P.E. is necessary to combat obesity and promote physical fitness. Guess what, it isn’t working. P.E.‘s been around for decades, yet childhood obesity is at an all-time high and on the rise.

Yes, I have often thought that public schools should teach self defense from a very early age.

I think @Seelix has a good idea. Students will enjoy physical education if they have a variety of sports and activities to choose from.

I won’t jump down your throat @SadieMartinPaul, but I do disagree. It isn’t working because physical education classes have been eliminated from the curriculum. This has been going on for many years now. gym classes cut

This is an interesting article highlighting the importance of physical activity for students.

I’ve heard of schools that have wrestling teams, as well as fencing, if you can believe that. I would definitely have taken up fencing if it was available, but I agree with the fact that things like martial arts require commitment. It’s also about a lot more than just practicing moves, and not every kid will have the mindset for it, nor the desire. Playing dodge ball is probably easier.

That said however, most sports do require commitment and constant practice. I HATED volleyball in school, yet was forced to play this for like two years until later where it becomes optional.

@jonsblond (I respect your opinions and I, too, am not jumping down your or anyone’s throat.) My experiences are anecdotal and based entirely on my own observations. I just know that the kids at my school didn’t seem to suffer for our lack of P.E. I wasn’t overweight or unhealthy, and neither were my classmates. Granted, that was a different era, many years before childhood obesity had become a problem. We got our exercise outside of school, walking to and from home (private schools often don’t have buses), skating at the school’s ice arena, playing tennis, jogging or running, etc.

I think there should be PE classes for those who want them, and a large variety of other activities for everybody else. Above all, I think PE classes should never be graded based on skill.

Yes, for all the reasons you gave plus these – introspection, humility, self confidence, goal-setting and achievement.

Having said it however, I am not sure why time that could be spent on mathematics, reading, writing and history is being used on PE. If people want to exercise, they will be active. If they want to be sedentary, let them. And if they are involved in athletic sports, they should be exempt.

Considering the American public school system appears to be pretty much set up to funnel this generation directly into the military, I think it would save them a ton on Basic Training.

I would love to learn martial arts.